Five childhood friends from Haïti enter adulthood searching in vain for a better future in a country marked by poverty. They cross paths after the 2010 earthquake at Kannjawou, a restaurant-bar in Port-au-Prince, where expatriates, NGO members, and UN soldiers meet.

Lyonel Trouillot paints a grim picture of the consequences of the international community’s occupation, while penning a love song to a country that has been marked by the violent relationship between rich and poor.

Book-alike: Everything Inside: Stories, Edwidge Danticat (Knopf)

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Lyonel Trouillot spent his teenage years in the US, before returning home to join the fight against the dictatorship. He is the author of 11 novels, two essays and a book of poetry. His La belle amour humaine was shortlisted for the Goncourt in 2011 and he was awarded the Prix Wepler for Yanvalou pour Charlie (2013).